Mustang 50 Sports Cruiser

Name: Mustang 50 Sports Cruiser
Brand: MUSTANG

Mustang Sports Cruisers are in a new paddock with Bill Barry Cotter at the reins. Who better to saddle a breed with good heritage and refine its thoroughbred lines.

LIKES

- The master stateroom is probably the largest ever seen in a boat of this size.
- A lot of features in a relatively small boat.
- Well laid out to capitalise on available space yet remains uncluttered.

DISLIKES

- A fiddle rail around the galley cooktop would be an advantage in less than calm seas when slaving in the galley
- Engine room access front and back of the motor is down through a manhole-sized space. Access along the engines would be difficult.
- The recommended retail price is at the top end for a boat of this calibre.

OVERVIEW

- The biggie of the breed

This model is the largest in the current Mustang stable with the colt of this breed being the 32 footer. Featuring IPS drives some of its design features follow on from the popular 47 Maritimo and its three cabin two bathroom configuration will get it past the winning post first, for those punting for maximum living space in a relatively small boat.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

- A few add-ons

The base price of this boat is $1,035,000 and standard fit is the twin Volvo IPS600, 435hp engines. Also standard is the joystick for the IPS system at the helm while another installed in the cockpit portside was optional at an extra $8,195.

The rear awning cover for the cockpit adds an additional $5,100 to the cost and a further $4,617 will see you get a Sunpad with stainless steel surround rails on the foredeck. This flat lounge is unzipped and may be stowed in the rear boot over the engine room. The biggest ticket item in the options list is the hydraulic swim platform which is capable of lifting 500kg and comes at a price of $32,500.

The teak table on fixed pedestal in the cockpit adds an additional $2,950 and the stainless steel 240V BBQ in the compartment in the back of the rear boot is an additional $3,411. The flood lighting over this area is a further $520.

Varnished satin timber flooring in the galley and saloon adds a further $11,939 to the bill and if you don’t want to run the standard-fit air conditioning in the saloon, opening side windows will cost you $4,200.

The Idromar 130-litre per hour water maker finishes off the options list for this steed at $23,400.

Fitted up with all this tack the Mustang crosses the finishing line at $1,132,712.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION

- An interesting mix

Bill Barry-Cotter has eked out every piece of available space inside this Mustang, putting it to good use while not cluttering the scene with impracticalities.

Boarding from the hydraulic swim platform may be done on the port or starboard side around the rear boot which hosts the BBQ. The hump of the boot is rebated at the fore and here a spacious lounge compliments the teak dining table that sits on fixed pedestals. Those relaxing here won’t need to move too far to recharge the glasses as a Vitrofigo bar fridge is installed in the portside locker. A locker mirrored on the starboard side is home to the shore-power switch gear.

The rear saloon doors fully open with a single door one side and a bi-fold the other making the cockpit and saloon as one for easy passage for a number of guests.

The galley is tucked back against the aft starboard side of the saloon and features a four-element cooktop. We would have liked to have seen a fiddle rail around this to prevent pots and pans sliding off in rough sea conditions. A single-bowl sink is flush mounted along with a microwave under the cooktop and dishwasher below that. There is ample pot, pan and plate storage in the galley module and extras may be secreted in the shallow lazarette under foot in the galley area. The fridge and freezer are separate units located across the way in the port-aft corner of the saloon.

Working in the galley one looks across the saloon to an L-shaped lounge surrounding a bi-fold dining table. The inner leaf, when folded away to port frees up the passage for those going to the helm and quarters below deck. A leather-covered lid in the centre is lifted to allow wine bottle storage although there are no racks for same therein.

As with the pelmets around the ceiling lighting, the helm station has also had the leather treatment giving it a soft, rich finish. A large brow forward of the controls housed a single Simrad NSE 12, a 12-inch screen combination chart plotter, radar, depth sounder. There is room on this panel for a second screen of those dimensions.

Twin engine controls are installed on the flat top teak panel to the right of the helm chair along with the joystick for the IPS system.

Down the companionway one moves straight to the fore end of the boat to find a double berth which is serviced with a large head. This bathroom has two doors, one each side of the entrance door to the cabin allowing passengers and the person occupying the single berth also found here, ready and private access.

A door leading off the passageway takes one into the full-beam master suite which is the real head turner in the layout of this boat.

Stepping down into this room one finds raised edges running fore and aft that correspond with the external deadrise of the hull. These have been put to good use with the one on the portside hosting a stool and small writing desk and that on the starboard side made into a divan that would make an ideal third bed.

The main double bed here runs diagonally across the cabin from the port aft corner and this allows a huge amount of walking space about the berth.

The bottom three quarters of the bed base lifts on gas struts to reveal bulk stowage area under the mattress. Clever positioning of mirrors to compliment the light from the windows each side has created the perception of a room of massive proportions. It is when down here one has to ask oneself ‘am I really on only a fifty footer?’

And on top of that there is no shortage of hanging wardrobe space either. Bill has worked this cabin layout to a treat!

MECHANICAL AND HULL

- Solid and strong

The hull on the 50 has a variable deadrise and moulded spray rails and from the waterline down is solid fibreglass with topsides fibreglass cored with balsa. It is built with watertight collision bulkheads and its two fuel tanks are fuel safe GRP meeting CE requirements as does the rest of the build and fit-out of this boat.

All fittings below the waterline are of 316 stainless steel and the 50 features two automatic 1100-gph bilge pumps and one 2000-gph backup bilge pump.

The power generator is 11kW and backed up with a 24 volt 40-amp charging alternator.

Topside, the anchor winch is a reversible 24-volt cheetah utilising a control on the foredeck and one at the helm feeding 60 metres of 8mm chain

ON THE WATER

- A great stayer and good sprinter!

As one has come to expect, the IPS joystick system provides exemplary manoeuvring, and dockside, an absolute novice can be made out to be a gun skipper putting this big boat into a small space.

Under normal throttle its power-to-weight ratio is spot on and the pair of Volvos were quite acceptable in their noise output.

Manoeuvrability on the plane was also quite acceptable and while we remained within the Gold Coast’s Broadwater there was enough big boat wash around to see if there were any issues with the quality of the ride. At 13 tonnes we really didn’t expect to find any and didn’t.

The boat exhibits a bow-up attitude at slower speeds which we found was easily adjustable with the use of the trim tabs.

Gleaning the data from previous tests on the fuel consumption of this Mustang, the Volvos showed their best fuel consumption for speed at 1300rpm for 8.3 knots and 12.5 litres per hour, both engines combined. With a full load of 1800 litres of fuel, this equates to a range of 1076nm and 1.51 litres per nm.

With the rpm bumped up to 1500 and gaining only 0.6kt, the fuel consumption jumps dramatically to 22.5lph. At 2500rpm and 18.1 knots you will be burning 79lph and a WOT of 3585 rpm and 31.8 knots 167 litres per hour will be going through the injectors.

Putting the 50 Mustang back in its Hope Island stable we had time to reflect on this product. As mentioned earlier, it has come with a good amount of credentials that are featured on the 47 Maritimo, itself a head turner and market leader. And we weren’t disappointed with this Mustang -- and neither did we expect to be; Barry-Cotter is a renowned trainer.

RATINGS

Overall rating: 4.7/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.7/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.6/5.0
Value for money: 4.8/5.0
X-factor: 4.6/5.0

Specifications

Price: $1,132,712
LOA: 16.34m (53.61 ft) including platform
Beam: 4.85m (15.91 ft)
Draft: 1.0 m (3.24 ft)
Weight: 13,000 kg ( 28,660 lbs)
Engines: 2 x Volvo IPS600 – 435hp
Water: 400 litres
Fuel: 1800 litres
Berths: 5
People Day: 10

Supplied by

Maritimo Offshore Pty Ltd (Head Office - Coomera)
15 Waterway Dr, Coomera
Queensland 4209
PO Box 452, Oxenford
Queensland 4210
Australia
Tel +61 7 5588 6000
Fax +61 7 5588 6050
Website: www.maritimo.com.au

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Mustang 50 Sports Cruiser

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